


Elseworlds Take II

by pjiminshair



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Coda, Crossover, Elseworlds, F/M, Fluff, Married Barry Allen/Iris West, Married Oliver Queen/Felicity Smoak, rewritten
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-21
Updated: 2018-12-29
Packaged: 2019-09-24 05:33:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17094830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pjiminshair/pseuds/pjiminshair
Summary: Elseworlds written again. This time, with 100% less Oliver Queen Bashing and 100% more Felicity Smoak.Summary:When Barry Allen and Oliver Queen  wake up one morning and realize they have swapped bodies with each other, the two with Felicity Smoak and other friends set off to find out what disturbed the timeline to cause such a shift.





	1. Pt.1 "Can't Stop Staring At Those Ocean Eyes"

**Author's Note:**

> The main plot points are still the same, but the entire fic is a lot less sexist and misogynistic. ;)  
> Also, this is primarily an Olicity fic. So, really, if you are here for west-allen, you might find some really fluffy moments, but I don't concentrate on that pairing too much (I wouldn't know how to. I stopped watching the show a while back)
> 
> That being said, this is probably the closest I'm ever going to get to writing a west-allen fic :P
> 
> Anyway, this crossover pissed me off (to the point that I'm STILL ranting about it on tumblr). So, I decided to change it all up. Now, I could've completely re-written the plot, but I kinda wanted to prove a point to MG by writing a fic with his plot points without making it sexist, gross or misogynistic. (So far, it's been hard, but I think I'm doing a good job)
> 
> I hope you like it! Feedback and kudos are greatly appreciated!
> 
> HAPPY READING!

Oliver woke up to a cold bed. He groaned even as he rolled over, eyes closed and hands reaching out for his wife’s warmth. Panic grabbed him when he felt nothing but cold sheets, and he sprang up, realising with dread filling him that he wasn't in their bed, or in their bedroom.

 

He looked around, trying to find anything even remotely familiar to latch on to, but everything about the place was too rustic and simple to be something he or Felicity would've chosen. It was also too lived in considering they had barely only started living in the same space again for a little over a week. Outside the room, he heard pans clanking together and he got up out of the bed in a moment, partially because the sounds meant that at least he wasn't alone, and also that if Felicity was in the kitchen…

 

… shit, where was the fire extinguisher in this house?

 

“Felicity?” He called out loudly, and in response the sounds coming from the outside stopped. Oliver sighed, a little chuckle leaving his lips. No doubt he was going to find her behind a stove pouting at him, telling him that she couldn't wait for him to wake up cause she was “dying” of hunger.

 

Nevermind that whenever she woke up and left the bed, Oliver was never too far behind her. After sleeping wrapped up in the warmth of her arms, he tended to wake up rather quickly at their absence. But when he did walk outside, hoping that with the usual morning kiss and coffee, he might also get some sort of an explanation as to where the hell they were, it was to find Iris West-Allen standing in his kitchen, giving him a weird look, 

 

“Iris?” he asked confused, “What are you doing here? And where is Felicity?”

 

Iris raised a brow, “You know Barry, I thought I had misheard the first time, but what do you need Felicity for? That too, first thing in the morning?” She walked closer to him, placing a had on his cheek, and Oliver couldn't help it. He jerked back. Iris had just called him Barry. What the hell?

 

Where the hell was his wife?

 

“Barry, are you okay?” Iris asked softly, even as Oliver looked at her in bewilderment,

 

“What are you talking about? Iris, I'm not Barry. I'm Oliver Queen.” Oliver told her sincerely but she just laughed at him,

 

“Oh my god, okay. So, I know I called him hot a few times… and yes, there was a time when he was on my three list, but we're not role playing, babe. Especially not since he married my best friend.”

 

There was no other way to word it. Oliver was  _ gaping. _

 

“Besides,” Iris said, and  _ fucking trailed her fingers over Oliver’s bicep  _ before he could take a step back, “You know that Oliver has got nothing on these guns, don't you,  _ flash _ ?”

 

Her smile was seductive, everything about her was seductive, and Oliver had quite possibly never felt so uncomfortable in his life. He took yet another step back, only to be backed into the island, and leaned away when Iris leaned in. It made her give him a playful stink eye.

 

Oliver cursed. There was nothing  _ playful  _ about this. 

 

“Okay, I don't know what's going on, but this isn't funny. Where's Barry? And where's my wife?” Oliver gingerly took hold of Iris’s shoulders,  nudging her back and looking around the house as if both those aforementioned people would just spring out from one of the couches with a SURPRISE banner in their hands.

 

Instead, what he found was even more disturbing. On one of the end tables was a picture of him and iris that he didn't remember taking. On the mantle above the fireplace, there was Barry and Iris’s wedding picture, only instead of Barry,  it was Oliver standing there with his arm around Iris, and they were both smiling happily into the camera.

 

Oh god, Oliver was going to be sick.

 

“Babe, are you feeling okay? I know you've been working a lot. Maybe the stress is getting to you, cause you're really not making any sense.” Iris smiled at him sympathetically, before giving his hand a brief squeeze, “Maybe take a sick day? And we can relax-” her voice was getting that particular pitch again, that seductive intonation that Oliver never wanted to hear coming from his friend's wife. Just to halt her in her tracks before he visibly cringed in front of her, Oliver blurted the first thing to come to his mind,

 

“Felicity!” Iris frowned in confusion,

 

“What about her?”

 

But Oliver wasn't listening. He had a plan now. He just needed to get to Felicity and she’ll make everything make sense again. Because right now all he could come up with was that for some reason he and Barry had apparently switched lives out of nowhere. 

 

And that just couldn't be the case. Not after all that Oliver had had to endure to get back to his family.

 

“I need to talk to her… about um-”

 

Iris sighed, exasperated but affectionate, “Is this about the new software the two of you have been so hush hush about? Cause, I did try to pry it out of her, but all she would say was that it was going to revolutionize security systems as we know them.” Iris’s eyes widened with realisation, “Is that why you've been acting so weird? Did you make make a breakthrough?”

 

Oliver’s brows furrowed. This was the first time he had heard about any sort of a secret software, but he took the excuse anyway, “That's right. I need to talk to her really urgently. It's a very… complicated… algorithm..math thing?”

 

So, maybe Oliver needed to work on his tech speak. In his defence, he has been severely deprived of any of Felicity’s babbles for the last 7 months. But, Iris just nodded seriously (Oliver could appreciate her  _ confused, clueless but always loving _ look. Oliver had mastered it himself quite early after meeting Felicity.) and patted his shoulder, “You go and give her a visit. I'll get breakfast done by then, okay?

 

“Wait, you're going to wait?” Oliver asked, confused. Iris gave him a weird look.

 

“Of course.” She leaned closer, making Oliver tense slightly, “And between you and me, I think this batch of pancakes is actually turning out pretty edible.”

 

She looked so proud of her, Oliver almost rolled his eyes. As if he and Barry didn't live parallel enough lives, both their wives just happened to be terrible cooks too.

 

“Mm hmm. I'm looking forward to it.” Oliver said, lying through his teeth, “But, Star City's two hours away.”

 

Iris rolled her eyes, “Not if you run fast enough, Barry.” her tone sounded weirdly indulgent even as she walked away, but Oliver didn't pay it too much attention because  _ oh _ .

 

_ What if?? _

 

_ Can he?? _

 

Slowly, Oliver bought one of his hands up, and concentrated on moving it as fast as he could. His eyes widened when he saw it practically vibrate, blurring in its speed to such an extent that he freaked himself out.

 

_ He was the fastest man alive. _

 

Oh god, what had Barry done now?

 

…..

 

Felicity was heating herself some of the waffles Oliver had cooked for their breakfast before he had left for ARGUS for an early workout session with Digg. Things had been a bit stiff between them, but they had been trying to follow their usual routines, even though it was slowly starting to get harder to look at Oliver in the eye. She wasn’t always sure where she stood with her husband, and for one crazy second, in the early days since that incident with her shooting at the intruder, she had thought, maybe he would just prefer it if she left, that maybe he would be happier then, but then she had shut that thought closed shut in her mind.

 

Oliver loved her. 

 

(Did he though? Still?)

 

Felicity shook her head clear again. She couldn’t let thoughts like these plague her mind. Oliver was the one that needed all the support right now. She couldn’t let her insecurities become a burden. Not when he was still adjusting to not only life as a free man, but also as an outed-vigilante.

 

Just as the microwave dinged, there was a crash in the living room. Felicity jumped, instinctively turning to the bedroom before remembering Oliver wasn’t there, and then turning to the kitchen island were her purse was, before remembering again that she had given the gun to Oliver.

 

Dammit. She was defenceless. Again. She stiffened when footsteps echoed, and tensed further even as she crouched down behind the counter so that she wouldn’t tremble so bad. She closed her eyes shut, and pressed the panic button she had installed beneath the counter ledge. Any second now, Oliver would be getting an SOS message on his phone. She just needed to keep it together till her husband showed up.

 

“Felicity?” A voice called out, too close to where she was for her comfort, but Felicity paused at it’s familiarity.

 

...Barry? 

 

“Felicity?” The voice moved towards their bedroom, and Felicity took advantage of the man’s back being turned to sneak a peek. It was him. She could tell from the suit, and she relaxed.

 

“Barry, what are you doing here?” Felicity called out, getting up from her crouched position. He was looking at her weirdly. Too soft and concerned and affectionate and all around intimate for her to be comfortable with it, “Everything okay?”

“No. No, this is the farthest thing from okay.” He started walking closer to her, not stopping even after crossing her invisible personal bubble. Felicity gave him a weird look when he hugged her tightly, not letting go even after an appropriate amount of time had gone by. He just held on tighter when she tried to nudge him away, and Felicity was starting to feel uncomfortable, considering she was still in her jammies and not wearing a bra,

 

“Um, Barry? You can let go now?” Maybe he heard the discomfort in her voice, maybe he realised what he was doing was highly inappropriate, but Barry let go immediately, and Felicity took a few steps back,

 

“What’s going on?” She asked him, but instead of talking to her, Barry was simply looking around the house. His eyes froze on the her and Oliver’s wedding picture stuck on the fridge with a magnet, and his jaw clenched.

 

“Where… um, where’s Oliver?” He asked her hoarsely, as if it was taking everything in him just to get that sentence out,

 

Felicity shrugged, “He’s at ARGUS. Gone sparring with Digg.” She saw the struggle going on in his head in his body movement, and something in her compelled her to take a step closer and place a hand on his arm, “Hey, you alright? You look super weird.”

 

Barry sighed, and pulled down his mask. He placed his own over hers and said very slowly, “Look, what I’m about to say is going to sound impossible, but I need you to trust me.”

 

Felicity pulled her hand away, taking a step back and not understanding the hurt that flashed in his eyes, “What’s wrong? Is Iris alright?”

 

Barry rolled his eyes, suddenly looking so tired, “I’m not Barry, Felicity.” He groaned.

 

Felicity looked at him inquisitively, “I’m sorry?”

 

“I’m not Barry. I’m Oliver Queen.” He was starting to look desperate, which was making Felicity even more uncomfortable, “I’m your husband.”

 

“I’m sorry, is this a joke? Are you pulling my leg?” If this was a prank, Felicity wasn’t giving Barry enough credit on his acting skills. He sounded completely sincere to her. But, Barry just shook his head and closed the distance between them, framing her face with his gloved hands,

 

“Look at me, Felicity.” He demanded softly, “After everything that we’ve been through, after meta humans and aliens and magic and nazis from another universe, tell me you think this is impossible. After everything  _ you and I _ ’ve been through, tell me you can’t tell when I’m telling you the truth.” Oliver challenged her, and almost wanted to take it all back when he saw tears springing up in her eyes,

 

“I- I don’t…” He tried to put himself in her shoes. Waking up and being confronted by a man who didn’t look like your husband, but was telling you he was. He had almost pulled away from her, when she placed a hand on his arms, keeping his hands framed on her face, “I don’t know what to think.” She told him in a way that meant she was asking him to convince her otherwise. Oliver breathed in. He could do that.

 

He gave her a soft smile even as he took one of her hands in his and placed it on her chest, “You told me once, do you remember? When I couldn't tell if you were real or not, you told me to listen to my heart.” Oliver spoke softly, and pressed closer to his wife when her lips wobbled, “And I did. And I knew it was you.” Felicity tilted her head up, and Oliver bent down just enough that there lips brushed, “We would know each other anywhere, Felicity. In any reality, in any form. We would know each other blind…” Oliver hesitated before he decided to put all of his cards on the table, “And I know these past months haven't been easy,” he started, and felt Felicity stiffen in his arms. It had been her go to reaction for the past few days, as if she was bracing herself for the worst. Oliver didn't know what she thought he was going to say, but he knew she was dead wrong anyway, 

 

“And I know we've been out of sync for the last few days.” She was crying now. And though he hated the tears in her eyes, they also signified that she was listening. For the first time in a long time, they were actually hearing each other. “I know that you're pissed, and I know that I've been stubborn, but we're going to be okay, Felicity. We're going to be just fine.”

 

“You don't-” her voice broke, and Felicity swallowed before looking up at him again, “You can't know that.”

 

“I can. I do.” he argued, “We've survived all odds, everything that the world has thrown at us and we've come out the other side stronger. You've loved me through everything, and I am promising to you right here, right now, that I will love you too. Through anything.” his thumb caressed the skin under her cheek, and almost subconsciously, she leaned into his hand, “People change, Felicity. It means we're growing. It means we're evolving. People change, but one thing that  _ will not _ change is how I feel about you.” 

 

Oliver shrugged, going for nonchalant even though at the moment, it felt like the weight of the entire world rested on his shoulder, “Love is too small a word.”

 

He felt his throat close up, but he needed to say this, all of it. And Felicity needed to hear this, so he persisted, “And no matter who you are, or what you become and no matter who _ I  _ am, or what  _ I _ become, you will always be… You will always be the love of my life. People change, Felicity. That never will.”

 

Felicity sighed at the end of his declaration, choked and wet and relieved, and closed the miniscule space between their lips with a small whispered little ‘Oliver’ that made him smile into the kiss, 

 

“Hey.” She said when they finally pulled away, and Oliver grinned down at her. The entire world might be upside down, but he had his wife in his arms, and he was feeling lighter than he had in days, 

 

“Hi, honey.” Oliver murmured and bent down to kiss her again. It wasn't until Felicity trailed her hand behind her husband's neck and her fingers caught into the mask that she remembered that she was still essentially kissing the flash. She pulled away, pursing her lips in mock sternness when Oliver tried to follow, and held his chin in her hand from tempting her further, 

 

“We still need to fix this, hun.” She reminded him and Oliver sighed even as he groaned. “You're right. We need to go to ARGUS. We need to get John in on this too.”

 

…….

 

Barry groaned as all brearth left his body in one punch and he fell to the ground. He looked up to see Digg standing over him, breathing heavily and waiting for Barry to get back up,

 

“Digg?” Barry asked, confused, “What are you doing here?”

 

“I’m kicking your butt.” Diggle smirked, “Now, get up. Come on.”

 

Barry did as he said, still confused, and flinched when Digg pulled back his arm to punch him again, but muscle memory he didn’t even know he had kicked in, and suddenly, Barry was dodging and blocking Diggle’s punches with moves he was sure he had never learned.

 

He looked around, wondering how he ended up here, expecting to see the Arrow bunker, but the place was completely unfamiliar to him,

 

“You guys redecorated the bunker?” Diggle rolled his eyes, 

 

“Oliver, you’ve been to ARGUS a million times.”

 

“Oliver?” Barry asked, confused, and blocked another punch of Digg’s. Before he knew what was happening, he was doing a combination of moves that had Diggle flat on his back in two seconds straight.

 

It was then he realised just what was happening. There was no way that Barry, as himself could’ve beaten John Diggle. Especially without his speed,

 

“I’m the Green Arrow.” He whispered, awed despite being thoroughly weirded out.

 

“Yeah. I’ll say.” Diggle coughed out.

 

Suddenly, there was a crash and a squawk from the room next to theirs. Both Diggle and Barry rushed towards the sound, only to find Oliver in Barry’s suit, groaning even as he slid down the wall he had clearly crashed into, Felicity groaning where she leaned on his chest, protected from the crash with a last minute turn and Oliver’s arms,

 

“You okay, honey?” Oliver asked her, breathing harshly. Felicity swallowed and nodded,

 

“Yeah. But, maybe a smoother landing next time?” Oliver rolled his eyes,

 

“I’m still getting used to this, you know?” Felicity patted his knee in acquiescement and stumbled upright, turning around and offering her husband a hand, Oliver took it graciously, standing up even as he massaged his lower back in pain,

 

“Okay, what the hell is going on here?” Diggle asked the two of them with a glare, “And how did the ARGUS intruder alarm not go off?”

 

“That would be me.” Felicity raised her hand sheepishly, “We’re hardly intruders, John.”

 

But, Oliver wasn’t paying attention, instead he had found the person he thought was responsible for this whole ordeal. He turned at Barry, giving him a pointed glare even as he growled, “You. What did you do now?”

 

“Nothing!” Barry protested, arms up in surrender, “I swear! I’m just as confused as you are!”

 

“Okay, I’m going to ask this once more, what is going on here?” Diggle asked, gruff and arms crossed over his broad chest, 

 

“Well, apparently, Barry and Oliver here changed places.” Felicity said, motioning to both the men in question. She grabbed Oliver’s arm and pulled him closer to her, “This is my husband, Oliver Queen.” She said and motioned to where Barry was standing, “And that, is Barry Allen.”

 

Digg blinked, and blinked once again,

 

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” He mumbled,

 

“Oh, come on, John.” Oliver took a step towards his brother, “After all we’ve been through all these years, you can’t possibly say that this is the most bizzare thing you’ve heard.”

 

John still didn’t look very convinced, and he looked towards Felicity. She gave him a soft understanding smile,

 

“I know it sounds impossible, But John, Oliver is my husband. I know him. We both know him better than anyone.”

 

Digg turned to Barry with narrowed eyes, and in response, Barry gave him a bright smile. Digg grimaced,

 

“I guess that would explain why you were acting so weird during the sparring session.”

 

Oliver’s shoulders slumped in relief. It was going to be fine. Two of the most important people in his life believed him. He had no doubt now they were going to fix this.

 

“Okay. So, Felicity and Digg believe us. What’s our next move?” Barry asked, jumping on his toes to do something,

 

“We should get you two checked out by Caitlin. Just to make sure that the addition of metahuman abilities isn’t messing with Oliver, or the absence of it doing something to Barry.” Felicity nodded to herself.

 

“Okay. Central city it is. I’ll meet you guys there.” Barry said, and started running, only… not very fast. He stopped a few inches from the door, looked back to realise that he had not in fact reached Central in the last 2 seconds and slumped, “Man, this sucks.” He muttered.

 

Diggle shrugged, “Guess you’re taking the subway just like the rest of us.” He turned to Oliver and Felicity, “What about you two?”

 

“Oh yeah, that’s not happening. I’m still not very good at this, and I’m not risking Felicity getting hurt again. We’re all taking the train.”

 

…….

 

Iris was pissed. He had waited for Barry to come home for an hour and a half before coming to the conclusion that her geeky husband had probably lost track of time once again. She had rolled her eyes then and after finishing breakfast all by herself and getting dressed, she had gone over to Star Labs to start her day.

 

Whatever. It was Barry’s loss anyway. The pancakes she had made had actually tasted quite decent this time.

 

She had been compiling all the reports she could find on Cicada and sorting them according to relevance when the cameras outside Star Labs notified her that he had visitors. She raised her brows when she saw that Barry was there, with Felicity, Diggle and Oliver. And if that wasn’t weird enough, he and Felicity were apparently holding hands? With Oliver -perpetually jealous- Queen right there not two feet away?

 

Iris was confused.

 

She stood up and walked over to the elevators and waited for cab to reach the first floor. All four of them came out together, freezing when they saw her waiting for them,

 

“Iris? Oh, thank god you’re here!” Oliver exclaimed, walking over to her and pulling her into a hug. She stiffened in his arms, sure that all of them had lost their minds because none of them were acting like there was anything weird about Oliver Queen hugging her, nevermind, that they hadn’t had one wholesome conversation in the three or so years they had known each other.

 

She took a step back as soon as he loosened his grip on her, and didn’t understand the hurt that flash across his eyes, “What is going on here?” She asked, annoyed and irritated, because Barry and Felicity were still holding hands, and Oliver was looking like a kicked puppy and John Diggle just looked like he was tired of everything in this world,

 

“Iris,” Felicity took a step closer, still not letting go of her husband’s hand, “I know this looks super weird right now, but you just need to let us explain. We need Caitlin. Is she here?”

 

“I’m here.” The woman herself walked out into the hallway, stopping when she looked at the scene in front of her, “What’s going on?”

 

Digg scoffed at the loaded question, “Apparently, it’s that time of the year again.” He said dryly.

 

…….

 

“So, what you’re saying is… Oliver is Barry and Barry is Oliver?” Iris asked Felicity one more time. Just to be sure. Felicity nodded sympathetically and Iris figured this had to be weird for her too. She looked back the the two guys in question, they were getting checked out by Caitlin and Cisco. She grimaced when her eyes landed on Oliver… or well, Barry if what they were saying was the truth, and she looked away,

 

“And you believe them?” She asked and Felicity shrugged,

 

“We married them, didn’t we? We’re supposed to know better than anyone.” She walked closer to Iris and took her hand in both of hers, “Look, why don’t you talk to him? Give him a chance to explain. I have no doubt that you’ll know him when you talk to him.”

 

Iris nodded hesitantly before looking back at Oli- Barry. Their eyes locked for a moment, and he gave her a soft look that made her blush and look away.

 

“You’re right.” She told Felicity and nodded decisively, “After the alien invasion and the alternate universe Nazis, this isn’t the most bizzare thing that has happened.” She hesitated only for a moment before making up her mind, “I’ll talk to him.”

 

Felicity smiled at her reassuringly before walking back into the lab to her husband,

 

“So, are they alright?” She asked Caitlyn, and the doctor nodded,

 

“Physically, they’re fine. Barry- I mean, Oliver has the speed force in him, but there are no irregularities. And the absence of it isn’t creating any side effects in Oli- Barry.” Caitlin shrugged, “For all intents and purposes, they’re completely each other. The flash and the green arrow.”

 

“I went through all the news reports.” Cisco said, showing Felicity his tablet, “In every article, Oliver is Barry and Barry is Oliver. Even in personal photos and childhood incidents. If what you guys are saying is true, this is much bigger than what we thought.”

 

Barry looked down, frowning contemplatively, “Okay, so let’s say that for this entire earth, I’m Oliver Queen, and Oliver is Barry Allen. What about the other earths?”

 

Oliver’s eyes widened in realisation, “You mean Kara?”

 

Barry shrugged, “We need all the help we can get. Not to mention, it’ll go a long way for you guys to believe us.” Barry jumped up, “Alright, I’m gonna go and get that extrapolator, and then we’re gonna go.” He said, and walked out of the lab. 

 

Oliver sighed, already tired of this entire situation, and closed his eyes. God, all he had wanted was a quiet life with his wife and son. Why did things like this keep happening to him?

 

He opened his eyes when he heard footsteps walking closer to him, only to find Felicity standing in front of him. He opened up,  pulling her between his legs and burying his head in her neck, hands gripping on to her waist as if she were an anchor, the only thing keeping him from drowning. He felt all tension leave him momentarily as Felicity wrapped her arms around him, scratching his scalp and placing a kiss on his temple,

 

“This must be difficult.” She murmured in his ear, and Oliver nodded.

 

“We can fix this.” She told him, steely conviction in her tone. Oliver pulled back to look her in the eyes,

 

“I know. As long as I have you.” Felicity smiled, soft and loving and everything that Oliver had been missing for too long,

 

“Good thing you’ll always have me.”

  
  


When Barry walked into Cisco’s lab, Iris was already there, waiting for him, a picture frame in her hands. She looked up when she heard him come in, and he couldn’t look past the tears that were shining in her eyes,

 

“Hey…” Barry said softly, but Iris shook her head,

 

“This doesn’t make any sense.” She said to Barry even as a tear rolled down her cheek, “Even if what all of you are saying is the truth, I’ve known you since we were children! I’ve loved you for just as long. By now, shouldn’t I just be able to take a look at you and know that you’re my husband?”

 

“Hey, of course it’s not that easy.” Barry said, walking closer till they were only a few feet apart, “Whatever is happening, it’s somehow… changed reality itself. And I know this is hard for you, and I’m so sorry, Iris, but-”

 

“But, you need me to believe you anyway?” There was slight bitter accusation in her tone, and Barry sighed, smiling at her slightly,

 

“You’ve always believed me.” He told her, shrugging, “Remember when I first moved in? Joe brought me to the house after my mom was killed? I looked at you and said, ‘My dad didn’t do it.’... and you said-”

 

“-I believe you.” Iris completed for him, and Barry nodded, smiling a bit wider,

 

“You did. You always have. And I need you to believe me again.” He took one of her hands in his, took the frame from her hands (it was their honeymoon. Sunny and bright and easy and they were smiling at eachother so widely, with their noses scrunched and eyes tiny slits. It was all wrong now, but Barry was going to fix it.) and placed it on the table next to them, “Iris, you’re my lightning rod.” He told her with all the conviction he could muster in his voice,

 

Iris hesitated for a second before nodding, “Okay… okay.” She took a step back, “I believe you. I just… I just need to think, okay? This is still very weird.” 

 

Barry nodded readily, “Of course. Don’t worry. I’ll fix this, okay?” Iris nodded back, and walked out of the room. Barry sighed, feeling lighter, and started rummaging the lab for the extrapolator.

 

…….

 

“Hey, I got it!” Barry said, walking into the lab. Oliver and Felicity pulled away, Felicity taking a step back and Oliver standing up, clearing his throat and adjusting his shirt. Barry gave them an annoyed look, “Oh come on, you guys! This is not the time, or the place!”

 

Oliver rolled his eyes, but didn’t argue, taking Felicity’s hand in his instead, “You got the extrapolator?”

 

“Yeah.” Barry showed him the tiny device and Oliver nodded, turning to look at his wife, a question on the tip of his tongue. Felicity rolled her eyes before he could even ask,

 

“Of course I’m coming.” She told her husband, and Oliver smiled. “But before that,” She looked at Barry with a brow raised, “Did you talk to Iris?”

 

Barry nodded, “Yeah. Yeah, she needs some time to wrap the idea around her head… but, I think we’re going to be okay.”

 

“Good. Okay, Let’s go.” Felicity clapped her hands excitedly. Despite the situation, travelling through the multiverse excited her too much to control her reaction. If Oliver’s affectionate eye roll was any indication, he understood. Barry pressed the button, and a portal created itself in thin air. They stepped into it one by one, and when they stepped out, they were in a barn.

 

…….

 

“Woah, hey! We come in peace!” Barry was the first one to notice the wrench wielding woman, and he immediately surrendered. Oliver and Felicity, stepping out behind him similarly raised their hands, Oliver standing in front of his wife. In a moment, Kara and another man appread, Kara stepping in between Lois and her friends from Earth 1,

 

“Woah, hey! They’re okay. They’re my friends, Barry, Oliver and Felicity.”

 

“Wait, so you can tell that I’m Oliver and he’s Barry?” Oliver exclaimed, relieved, and tension Felicity didn’t even know she was feeling finally left her.

 

“Yeah. Why wouldn’t I?” Kara asked, but instead of answering her, the three of them just sighed in relief. She shook her head, and then excitedly motioned to where Clark was standing beside her, “Oh hey guys! This is my cousin, Clark!”

 

“Oo! That cousin? You mean your super cousin?” Felicity asked, stepping away from behind Oliver and coming forward to shake hands with Superman, “Hi!”

 

Oliver rolled his eyes at her excitement. She had had the same response when she had met Kara. For Felicity, this was basically every geek dream she ever had come true. If Oliver was any less of a man, he would’ve felt the need to overcompensate.

 

“Oh, please. Call me Clark.” Clark said, and then motioned to the rest of the barn, “Welcome to our farm.”

 

“Hi!” Lois said, stepping up in front and greeting Felicity, “I’m Lois Lane. Daily Planet.”

 

“Felicity Smoak.” Felicity introduced herself, shaking the woman’s hand, “MIT, class of 09’.”

 

“Wait,” Kara interrupted them, “Why wouldn’t I recognize you guys?”

 

“Well…” Barry started, but Oliver just raised his hand, and started vibrating it. Felicity’s eyes widened,

 

“Oh wow, that’s new.” Kara commented, and Felicity nodded her head rapidly, eyes still fixated on her husband’s hand.

 

Barry just sighed, and turned to Kara, “We could really use your help.”

 

…….

 

“How long have they been at it now?” Kara asked Felicity, looking out of the farmhouse where Oliver and Barry were training. Well, Barry was shooting paint cans and Oliver was ordering him around. 

 

Felicity grimaced, “At least 2 hours now.” She sighed, “This is hard for both of them for different reasons, but I think Oliver is taking it the hardest…”

 

Kara gave her questioning look, “What do you mean?”

 

Felicity hesitated, before sighing an shrugging, “He was outed as the arrow last year-” She started,

 

“No..” Kara breathed out slowly, but Felicity nodded,

“He went to prison for seven months. Being the green arrow… it hasn’t been easy for Oliver. He’s had to make bad choices, had to do cross lines nobody else will, and he’s lost so much… Seeing Barry being able to do everything that he does, without the journey that got him there it-”

 

“It pisses him off.” Kara finished for him, looking at Oliver maybe for the first time in a new light. Felicity shrugged,

 

“I suppose. Oliver has always had a difficult time recognizing the light that he has inside of him. And that’s been especially true these past couple of years.” Felicity said even as she winced, watching Oliver giving Barry another lecture. She could tell even from this far that both of their patience was wearing thin,

 

“Well then, I suppose it’s a good thing he has you to remind him of it every now and then.” Kara told her, giving Felicity a loaded look. Felicity smiled, and moved away from the railing, walking out of the house, 

 

“I’m gonna go talk to him.” She said, and the moment Felicity left, Lois came and took her place standing next to Kara,

 

“And here I thought that he was just a jerk.” She said, and Kara laughed,

 

“Yeah… he tends to give out that kind of a first impression.” She turned to Lois, “But, I’ve seen him with people he loves. I’ve seen him with Felicity.” She remembered last year, when Felicity had shielded Kara with her own self, and how desperate Oliver had been then, “He is very soft when he’s with her.”

 

“She seems like a sweet woman.” Lois observed as Felicity walked towards Oliver, wrapping an arm around his waist. Watched as Oliver turned to look at her with a scowl that had been pasted across his face for the past hour or so. Watched as that scowl all but disappeared, being replaced with a soft questioning look,

 

“Light personified.” Kara said jokingly, “You know, she sometimes reminds me of Lena.”

 

Lois raised a brow even as she continued looking at the couple, “A man who associates himself with darkness, and light personified. Seems like a good match.”

 

…….

 

“Wow, hey, what’s going on here?” Felicity said as soon as she was in touching distance, immediately wrapping her arm around Oliver’s waist, cutting through the tension surrounding the two men like smog.

 

“Nothing.” Oliver responded just as Barry said, “Your husband has been making me shoot paint cans for hours now.” Oliver glared at Barry, but Barry just rolled his eyes. Figures, scary ass vigilante like Oliver, of course the only thing he would be scared of would be tiny little Felicity.

 

“Barry?” Felicity asked, “Take a break?” It was a nice way of telling him to scram, and Barry nodded gratefully, completely ignoring Oliver’s reproachful look as he made his way back to the house. Felicity brought one hand to Oliver’s jaw, turning his face till he wasn’t glaring at Barry’s retreating back and looking at her instead,

 

“He’s not taking any of this seriously.”

 

“Yes, he is.” Felicity retorted softly,

 

“He’s joking around-” Oliver started, but Felicity shrugged, 

 

“Doesn’t mean he isn’t taking this seriously. He’s just being Barry about it.” Felicity sighed, and turned so that they were facing each other, her arms around his shoulders and his wrapped around her waist, “Oliver, your abilities with a bow and arrow don’t make you the hero you are.”

 

Oliver opened his mouth to argue but Felicity didn’t let him speak, “They don’t. They certainly help, but it’s your heart, your struggles, your will to do good that makes you a hero.”

 

“I don’t… everytime I wear that hood, everytime I take aim, I have all my mistakes, all my choices, all my losses right in the back of my head. When I’m wearing that hood, I’m not- I don’t always feel like a good person.” Oliver confessed, eyes shining, and in response, Felicity felt hers burn too.

 

“Well, you don’t have to wear that hood anymore.” Felicity brushed the side of his head affectionately, “You’ve changed. We both have.” Oliver nodded, but Felicity wasn’t done, “But, for the record, I don’t agree with you. I have always seen a hero, no matter weather you were wearing a hood or not. And you don’t have to believe it right now, but I should warn you, we do have fifty something years worth of time together for me to convince you.”

 

Oliver smiled wide, eyes shining with unshed tears and love, “And I’m looking forward to every single one of them.”

“Good.” Felicity nodded, and patted Oliver’s shoulder, “Now, go apologise to Barry and stop bossing him around. I know it’s frustrating, but quite frankly, Barry isn’t the only one who needs the training.”

 

Oliver chuckled, but agreed. After all, he couldn’t argue that he too had crashed too many times just from running. “Yes, ma’am.” He said, giving his wife a mock-salute, walking backwards for a few moments so as to not miss her smile, before turning around to call Barry back to the clearing.

 

Felicity rolled her eyes affectionately behind him, feeling oddly satisfied.

  
  


“Hey.” Oliver called out when he found Barry sitting on the front porch. The man looked at him tiredly, and Oliver grimaced, realising that maybe he was being a bit too hard on him,

 

“What? Is it time for round two already?” Barry moaned,

 

“Nope.” Oliver sighed, “I came to say I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have been so hard on you about training considering I still haven’t managed to master your speed.”

 

Barry perked up, “Really?”

 

God, he really was like a puppy, wasn’t he. Oliver sighed, “Yeah. I’ll go a bit easy on you this time around… and maybe you can give some pointers on stopping after running without crashing into a wall…”

 

Barry jumped up immediately, “Sure man!” He laughed, as if he hadn't just been slumped up against the porch railing a few moments ago, “Oh, this is going to be awesome, you’ll see.”

 

……..

 

It took them another four hours of taking turns practising each other’s techniques before they were ready to take a break. Oliver’s stomach growled loudly when the finally stopped, making Barry laugh,

 

“Yeah, you’re definitely going to need to eat something after that workout.” He said, and Oliver had to agree. He was starving. They had only just made their way back on the farmhouse porch when they heard a portal open behind them, they turned around abruptly, only to see Cisco come out of the other side.

The door to the farmhouse opened, it’s occupants joining them into the porch. Cisco smiled sheepishly,

 

“Hey, Supergirl, Felicity… Barry and O- Oliver?” 

 

“Cisco, what are you doing here?” Barry asked,

 

“We need your help. Like, the world is in crisis mode and only the flash and the green arrow can help kind of help.” He turned to look at Kara, “Not that, we wouldn’t mind another set of hands.”

 

Kara agreed readily, looking over at Clark, “You want to tag along?”

 

Clark looked over at Lois, and seeing the eagerness in her eyes, smiled before replying, “Sure. Why not? Earth 1 sounds fascinating.”


	2. Pt.2 "We're On The Right Side Of Rock Bottom"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know the uploads to this work are comparitvely slower, but in my defence, the actual elseworlds crossover is actually physically painful to watch. Thank fully, I'm really looking forward to changing the third part, so hopefully I won't procrastinate writing it so bad.
> 
> That being said, I hope you like this chapter. I tried really hard, but I still couldn't make Felicity and Kate meet, which was extremely disappointing, but I liked how this turned out anyway.
> 
> Anyway, if you like it, leave kudos and feedback! They feed my soul. I hope this is turning out much better than the actual crossover (pretty low bar but eh)
> 
> HAPPY READING!!

Clark had never thought a lot about the multiverse. He had always been too busy keeping his world intact to care much about all the other worlds. So, just like Lois, even though he was going in completely blind, he had been excited to travel to Earth-1.

 

Maybe if he had known that he would have to fight against a robot of sort who could not only absorb all his powers, but also the powers of Green Arrow and The Flash, maybe he would’ve been much more wary than eager.

 

As it was, after a brutal fight and some quick thinking, they did manage to eliminate the threat. Oliver and Barry’s training before they were called back to their earth definitely helped. They regrouped at Star Labs, getting the necessary introductions out of the way before getting into the crux of the things,

 

“We really need to figure out what it is that is causing all of this.” Felicity said, standing next to Oliver. It was still weird for her, to have to look up that much further, to feel the scruff under her hands whenever she placed a hand on his cheek. He was bulkier. Wider. Taller. But, under all those physical changes, under that skin tight red suit that was both ridiculous and also sort of sexy? In equal measure, she could tell he was still her Oliver.

 

His eyes were just as warm, as always. Just as loving as always. His arms wrapped around her made her feel just as safe as always. The smile that graced his lips, small and quite but genuine, just for her whilst he scowled at everyone else was just as precious as always.

 

He may not look like it to her right now, But she knew he was Oliver. Her Oliver. And kissing him, standing by him, supporting him, It was just as easy as it always had been.

 

Oliver looked at his wife. Her shoulders were tense, but she was leaning against him. It had to be hard for her, Oliver thought, but she was handling everything just as gracefully as she took on any challenge. At that moment, he couldn’t help but wrap an arm around her waist, pulling her close enough to place a kiss on her head. She smiled up at him when he pulled away, squeezing the hand sitting on her waist in silent gratitude.

 

When they looked away from each other, it was to find everyone else staring at them, a range of confused expressions on their faces. Diggle was the first one to shake his head clear, breaking the tension with an awkward chuckle even as he said,

 

“Sorry, logically, I know you’re Oliver and so she’s your wife, but it’s still so weird to see.”

Oliver just rolled his eyes, not gracing that little observation with an answer. But, he didn’t loosen his hold on Felicity, and she didn’t stop leaning on his shoulder. In the end, it was cisco that broke the silence,

 

“I think I know who might be responsible for this… weirdness.” He said reluctantly,

 

Oliver and Felicity immediately forgotten, the gathered teams turned to give Cisco an incredulous look. The man raised his arms in surrender, 

 

“Hey! I don’t know any details, but I… I vibed something. A man, with ridges on his head.”

 

Kara narrowed her eyes, “And you think this man had something to do with what’s happening to Oliver and Barry?”

 

“Well, I did see it right after Oliver and Barry swapped capes.”

 

Barry looked concerned, “You’ve been having troubles with your vibes lately, maybe it’s that.” He suggested softly, but Cisco shook his head vehemently,

 

“No. This was beyond me.” Cisco said, and if Oliver didn’t know better, he would think Cisco’s voice was almost awed. “It felt like something important.”

Everybody processed the information for a few moments, but Oliver knew that there was only one possible course of action here.

 

“We need to see it.” He said, his voice hard. Whoever was responsible for this… this joke, Oliver was going to make sure that they paid.

 

Cisco nodded, even as he looked reluctant, and walked forward. “Okay, hold on to me, then.” He said and both Barry and Oliver moved forward, grasping a shoulder each as Cisco reached back to recreate the scene that he had vibed. It was painful, his ears ringing and brain feeling like nails on a chalkboard. But, it worked, soon the three of them were in someplace else. In front of them a mousy man holding a thick book, and standing next to him was the man Cisco had described earlier.

 

“Fascinating.” The man was saying, looking right at them. It shouldn’t be possible, because none of them were actually there. “I did not think that the men of this earth would have such capabilities.” The more the man spoke, the harder it got for Cisco to keep his focus, “But, it won’t avail you. None of you can stop what has been set into motion.”

 

“You’re best off giving up now.” Was the last thing they heard the man say, “Because nothing you can do can alter what’s about to happen.”

 

Cisco pulled away then, falling back onto the table behind him, his brain feeling more like a cloud of smoke than anything else and his nose bleeding,

 

“Cisco, are you ok?” Caitlyn asked, walking towards him, but Cisco turned away from her before she could reach him. Pressing a tissue on to his bleeding nose and walking away with a muttered, “Nope. Not even close.”

 

“What did you see?” Felicity asked her husband. Oliver walked over to her, pulling a blank sheet of paper from the desk beside her and scribbling a rough sketch of the scene he had witnessed in a flash. 

 

“This.” He said, holding the paper up. Felicity blinked at him,

 

“Is being a good artist one of your superpowers? Or…” Oliver rolled his eyes fondly, huffing a little breath over her teasing. They both knew that he couldn’t actually draw for shit. It’s one of the reasons why he wasn’t allowed to help William on his more creative project models. Kara and Barry came over to take a closer look,

 

“I don’t recognize him.” Kara said, in regards to both the men.

 

“I doesn’t matter.” Oliver replied, and then pointed at one of the skyscrapers in the background, a massive ‘W’ clear at it’s top, “I know where to find him.”

 

“Oh…” Felicity breathed out, “Gotham.”

 

………

  
  
  


“Hey, you coming?” Oliver asked his wife, Barry and Kara by his side. Felicity looked up from where she was engrossed in her computer, “What?”

 

Oliver frowned, “To Gotham. You’re not coming?”

 

Felicity grimaced, “Wish I could, honey. But, as much as I would like to, these red skies and lightning strikes have been causing mass panic. I’m trying to build a pattern recognition algorithm, but it’s gonna take a while.” 

 

That dampened Oliver’s mood a bit. But, Barry patted his shoulder in consolement, “Don’t worry about it, man. You, me, Kara? We can handle Gotham.”

 

“About that.” Oliver said, turning to Barry, “I don’t think you should join us.”

 

“What?” Barry asked, affronted, “Why not?”

 

“Because, for the world, you’re Oliver Queen. And Oliver Queen is also a public figure and an infamous vigilante. If you’re in Gotham City, you’re attracting the kind of attention that we don’t want.”

 

Barry scoffed, “Oh please, if Gotham can handle Batman, then it can handle the Green Arrow.”

 

Oliver almost laughed at that ridiculous statement, “Please, Batman is an urban legend.”

 

From behind him, Felicity let out a little aww sound. Oliver turned to her incredulously, but her gaze when she looked at him was only sympathetic. And if that look wasn’t enough in and of itself, she had to go ahead and mumble a soft little ‘oh honey.’

 

Oliver knew that ‘oh honey’. Oliver usually loved that little ‘oh honey’. Because, usually that ‘oh honey’ was followed by Felicity’s arms circling his shoulder, and her lips softly pressing against his. But, that ‘oh honey’ also meant that Oliver had just said something so naive, Felicity couldn’t help but find him adorable.

 

Adorable in a sense people find tiny puppies and wet kittens adorable.

 

Usually, Oliver didn’t mind being compared to a tiny puppy, as long as the comparison was coming from his wife. 

 

But, this ‘oh honey’ was so much more. This ‘oh honey’ meant that Felicity believed that Batman was real. And that was just.. That was just wrong. Felicity was rarely wrong, but Oliver was sure if there was a vigilante before him, then he would’ve known about him. Especially someone as infamous as batman.

 

“He’s not real, Felicity. He’s just an urban legend concocted by the Gotham police department to scare away criminals.” He told her, but her expression didn’t change. Instead, she gave him a soft smile, arms coming up to circle around his shoulders.

 

It irritated Oliver, how  _ cute _ she found him in that moment, but nothing would stop him from pulling her even closer by her hips, wrapping his arms around her back till she had to stand on her toes and tilt her head up just to look at him,

 

“Honey, you do know that that’s what criminals in Star City said about you before you got outed, don’t you?” She mumbled, voice still soft, eyes still warm. Oliver gritted his teeth,

 

“I’m the original vigilante.” He muttered, and _ No _ , he was not _ pouting. _ The news was just a little… unsettling.

 

“Sure, honey.”

 

She was  _ patronizing _ him. He frowned. Usually, it was him who had to placate her by agreeing with some of her more ridiculous notions. (He had learned it the hard way when the first time he had been banished to the couch was because he had laughed at her very  _ legitimate _ and  _ understandable _ fear of Kangaroos.) Now, he heard Barry and Kara try and fail to cover their giggles with their hands, saw Felicity bite her lip to keep herself from laughing (her eyes were bright, almost glowing, with laughter. She was stunning to him. Always will be) and knew the tables had turned. He huffed, leaning closer to press a quick, hard kiss on her forehead before pulling away,

 

“I’ll see you later.” He grumbled out. She nodded, giggling even as they slowly parted, hands lingering on each other till the very last moment. 

 

………

 

Gotham was… dark. And polluted, and crowded. But, most of all, it was just wet. The roamed the dark streets of the city, trying to keep their heads down even as they looked around,

 

“So, how are we even going to find two people in a city of 1,6 million?” Kara asked, just as Oliver’s cell pinged. He fished it out of his coat, frowning when he saw it was a text from Felicity. Worried, that maybe something had happened, he opened it just to find coordinates. Oliver had just matched them on a map when another text popped up,

 

_ N 43 7 62 _

_ W 90 86 12 _

 

_ Facial recognition picked up the guy with the ridges there last night. _

 

_ Apparently, if you’re not batman, then a ridiculous cape costume and weird hairdo makes it pretty easy to find you on CCTV. _

 

Oliver smirked.

 

“Felicity has a lead.” He told the other two, showing them the street name the coordinates pointed to. Kara raised a brow, clearly impressed, and Oliver felt the ever familiar pride for his wife warm his insides.

 

They started to walk towards the man’s last known location even as they looked around. The buildings around them were covered in grime and graffiti. Barry scrunched his nose at all the gutter water spilling into the streets, trying to avoid as many puddles as he could,

 

“Do we really have to go through the bad part of this town?” He complained, Oliver rolled his eyes,

 

“Barry, This is Gotham. I’m not sure there is a good part in this town.” Just then, A van pulled up near them, the logo on it suggesting they were a security detail,

 

“Looks like the one percenters bring the good part with them.” Barry mumbled. The condition of these streets made something very deep in Oliver hurt. Maybe it was because it reminded him too much of the glades. Whatever it was, it made Oliver feel angry,

 

“This is why nobody talks about Gotham.” He growled at Barry, “The city might as well be dead.”

 

“Sounds like you guys aren’t from around here.” Oliver turned around, seeing a group of men making their way towards them. They were clearly armed, but definitely not cops. Oliver hates how safe they felt showing off their illegal firearms in the middle of the street in the middle of the afternoon, but he said nothing. “Probably don’t know this, but the Gotham tourism bureau collects a tax on out of towners. So, phones, wallets, watches, now.”

 

They raised their hands in surrender when the men pointed their guns at them, the safety off. But, instead of giving in, Oliver slowly leaned towards Kara, softly saying, “Now would probably be a good time to get us out of here.”

 

Kara nodded, and just as the man had had enough, and was about to shoot, Kara grabbed both the men and super sped them right out of there. 

 

When they finally stopped, Oliver and Barry dizzy and lightheaded, but alive and unharmed, they were on the location they had been given. Oliver looked around, it was definitely the place he had seen in Cisco’s vibes. Figures, Oliver’s wife was never wrong. Especially not when it came to technology and math.

 

“Okay, so. We’re here.” Kara said, looking around. It looked like a generic parking lot, that is, until she saw a car in the corner. The presence of a car in a parking lot in and of itself wasn’t that weird. But, it was the fact that the car looked like it had been crushed very deliberately. The same way she sometimes crashed a car when she accidentally fell on it. But, Kara was an alien. So, she was pretty sure that whatever had done that to car couldn’t be human either. She had been about to point that out to the boys when a black car stopped in front of them,

 

“Oh, what now?” Barry mumbled as a guy in black came out of the driver’s side, arms folded in front of him,

 

“Please, come with me.” He said to the trio, looking as if they should’ve been expecting him. Oliver narrowed his eyes,

 

“We appreciate the offer.” He said slowly, “But, really we’re fine.”

“Please.” The man said, and discreetly flapped open his coat to show the gun he was packing, “I must insist.”

 

Barry sighed out, “What are the chances that we get threatened by men with guns twice in a matter of minutes?” Neither Kara or Oliver deigned to answer that. Instead, reluctantly climbing into the backseat of the car, wondering who it was that figured out where they would be this fast and how.

 

………

 

The trio stared at the looming building in front of them, the glowing ‘W’ at the top nothing but a dot from the perpendicular angle and such distance. “Why would Bruce Wayne want us? How did he even know we were here?”

 

Oliver shook his head, “It wasn’t Bruce Wayne. Bruce disappeared three years ago. Nobody’s seen him since.”

 

Kara gave Oliver a questioning look, “What happened to him?” But Oliver had shrugged. Oliver and Bruce had met occasionally before the island. It was inevitable considering how interwoven their circles were, but they were never particularly close. Their similar personalities had been a point of contention, which, when thought about it long enough was a bit weird, considering him and Tommy were pretty similar too, but they got along famously.

 

They walked inside, the lobby just as dirty and covered with graffiti as the outer building had been. Barry scrunched his nose at all the trash that littered the floor, “So,” He asked casually, “who’s manning the shop now?”

 

“Apparently, when Bruce disappeared, his board members went to town on a bunch of aggressive get-rich-quick deals.” Oliver explained, and okay maybe he had been a bit more invested in Bruce’s disappearance than he would like to admit. Though, in his defence, Oliver was living his best life in Ivy Town with Felicity when everything with Bruce went down, and he had had the time and mind-space to actually catch up on the news that took place outside of Starling City.

 

“Yeah, but an abandoned building wouldn’t order us here, would it?” Barry asked rhetorically just as they heard footsteps above them. Kara let out a breathy ‘Whoa’ when she saw a woman leaning on the railing of the first floor. She looked strong, radiated strength in a way that was at once concealed and very obvious. She reminded her of Lena. Shorter hair and tattoos, but both women radiated similar energies.

 

She was captivating.

 

“That is definitely not Bruce Wayne.”

 

Kate ignored the woman, instead focusing on her main problem. She had been following Oliver Queen through street cameras and satellite imagery ever since he had come to Gotham, and though his companion’s superhuman powers were something she would definitely look into, they still weren’t as important as getting the Green Arrow out of her city as soon as possible.

 

“Oliver Queen.” She addressed, and narrowed her eyes when he didn’t react. It wasn’t until the guy on his left nudged him with an elbow did he look up, a startled look in his eyes,

 

“Yes. I’m Oliver Queen. That’s right. And who’re you?” Oliver, the actual Oliver, almost face palmed at Barry’s slowness. Wasn’t the guy supposed to be smart? As it is, Oliver was sure that by the time this was over, he would’ve aged at least 5 years more just by putting up with Barry. 

 

Don’t get him wrong, he liked Barry. Just, in small doses. And when in the eyes of the public he wasn’t married to Oliver’s wife.

 

“The rain on your parade.” Kate announced, “If you’re visiting Gotham to compare grappling hooks with Batman, then you’re out of luck. No one’s seen him in years.”

 

“Told you!” Barry said to Oliver’s face childishly, but Oliver just rolled his eyes. Barry gave the woman a bright smile, “Oh, I would never compare myself to a badass like Batman.”

 

Kate gave Oliver Queen another weird look. She had seen his announcement as Green Arrow on television, and the subsequent interviews and press conferences that he did after his stint in Slabside. None of those appearances matched with the behaviour of the man in front of her. He was too… happy go lucky? Not what she would’ve imagined from a man who had just spent 7 or so months in a maximum security prison.

 

“What Oliver is trying to say is-” Kara started, but Oliver cut her off. Considering that this woman was under the impression that she was talking to the actual Oliver Queen, it only seemed fair the Oliver got to put words in Barry’s mouth,

 

“What Oliver is actually trying to say is ‘Who’re you?’ and ‘Why did you just have us kidnapped?’”

 

“You can call me Kate Kane. And Gotham has enough problems without a guy in green leather trying to show off his arrows to everyone. So, the faster you find what you’re looking for, the faster you can get the hell out of my city.”

 

Oliver grimaced. Great, another arrow and leather related innuendo. Because those were so original. Fascinatingly, they weren’t half as charming as when they were coming from Felicity. 

 

Or maybe it was just because Felicity herself was so charming.

 

Kate Kane didn’t wait for a response. She just turned around and walked further upstairs. They didn’t have any other choice but to follow her. They got into the elevator, the lift moving up on it’s own before they could press a floor number. The cab opened onto the roof of the building, and Kate Kane was already waiting for them there. Oliver got out, and was just about to ask the woman what they were doing here when his phone rang.

 

He frowned, face clearing when he saw it was Felicity. He picked up, turning away from the rest of them so that he could talk to his wife in private,

 

“Hey, everything alright over there?” He asked as soon as he picked up,

 

“About that, I’m going to need a ride to Gotham. Preferably one that is a bit faster than a train.” Her voice had enough weight that he could tell she was either talking about his speed or Kara’s ability to fly. His brows furrowed,

 

“Honey, are you ok?”

 

“Oh yeah, peachy. It’s just that, me and cisco had been working on that algorithm, right? And we noticed that the red skies and lightning seemed to be following you and Barry. They’re already clearing up here. I’m guessing they’ll show up at Gotham sooner or later. We think that the lightning strikes might be attempted dimensional breaches. And I might be able to stabilize the quantum flux enough to allow whatever is trying to get through to get through, you know? We were able to build a prototype, but I need to be there to activate it, not to mention to adjust it to updated climate readings. So, flash ride would be largely appreciated.”

 

She said the last part teasingly, and Oliver rolled his eyes fondly,

 

“I’ll be right there.” He said, hanging up and turning to the others, “I need to go pick up Felicity. I’ll be back.”

 

In a flash, Oliver was at Star Labs and in front of Felicity. She blinked when he appeared in front of her, “You’ve gotten better control over it, I see.”  She was carrying a bulky duffle bag over her shoulders. Oliver took it from her without a word, carrying it over his shoulders and making her smile quietly at his chivalry. He picked her up bridal-style, giving her a little grin,

 

“Hold on to me tight, Felicity.” He whispered, making her chuckle. Obediently, she tightened her hold around his neck, burrowing her face in the space between his shoulder and neck even as she said,

 

“Always.”

 

When they finally appeared back on the rooftop, Kate was gone. Kara and Barry looked at the pair in surprise as Oliver let Felicity back on her feet. 

 

“Felicity needed to be here to complete the algorithm. Plus, I thought she could help us with finding our suspect.”

 

Felicity took the duffle from Oliver, taking out her laptop and firing it up, hacking into the GCPD in under five minutes. Oliver watched as she sifted through the criminal database, trying to find a match with their suspect. It only took a few moments before she got a match,

 

“Got him.” She said, turning the laptop screen so that the trio behind her could see the perp, “John Deegan. Illegal Experimentation, torture-”

 

“Sounds like a mad scientist.” Oliver observed. Felicity nodded her head absentmindedly,

 

“Yeah. It looks like he was conducting experiments on his own patient’s brains.”

 

“Sounds like a real charmer.” Barry commented.

 

“Well, he was acquitted.” Felicity said, highlighting the court proceedings, “All charges were dropped on technicalities.”

 

“So where can we find him?” Oliver asked her. Felicity searched through the his personal file,

 

“Nope. There’s no known address.”

 

“What about place of employment?” Oliver asked, leaning over her shoulder, close enough that she could feel his breath fanning her hair,

“Well, he was fired. Suspended by the medical board for two years, but that was five years ago. The GCPD doesn’t have anything anymore recent on him.”

 

“So, no idea where to find him?” Oliver concluded, sighing. Felicity turned to him with a grimace,

 

“I’m sorry.” She said. Oliver shook his head. It wasn’t her fault. Felicity was always so good and what she did, whenever she couldn’t give him the answers he needed, the disappointment was much more acute. It was a rare occurrence, but it happened.

 

“I could look through the satellite imaging, but again, this  _ is _ Gotham. It is very easy to hide in this city.”

 

“Alright, okay.” Kara said, “I’ll go and do an X-ray flyby of the city. That should give us some answers.”

 

“I don’t think Ms.Kate is going to be very happy with you running around ‘her’ city.” Barry reminded her, but she shrugged his concern off,

 

“Well, unless she has some kryptonite stashed somewhere, I’m not really worried.”

 

They watched Kara leave for a few moments, before Oliver turned to his wife,

 

“And what’s all this?” He said, tilting his head towards all the spare metal parts that were in the duffel bag. Felicity grinned, taking them all out one and a time and assembling them with a grin on her face,

 

“These, my love, are all the parts that I need to build a quantum flux anchor.” She said, and Oliver raised a brow,

 

“And what’s a quantum flux anchor?”

 

“It uses wave theory to fire nano-particulates across the Einstein-Rosenberg bridge to create a secure claxon field.” When Oliver just blinked at her cluelessly, she gave an indulgent smile, “You know how I told you about someone trying to get through a breech?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Well, this will make sure that they can actually make their way here.”

Oliver frowned, “Honey, are you sure that’s face? We don’t exactly know what’s on the other side.”

 

“Oh, don’t worry about it. If the person on the other side looks even remotely suspicious, I’ll just turn the anchor off, and  _ boom _ , bye bye breecher!” She replied, giving him her best reassuring grin, and though it seemed to soothe him a bit, he still looked a bit worried.

 

Before he could continue their conversation, Kara came back upstairs, a new urgency in her steps, “I asked Kate.” She told the trio, “According to her, John Deegan works at the Arkham Asylum.”

 

“Well, that would make sense.” Felicity said, “The GCPD gave up on keeping the asylum in line a long time ago. That thing is filled with maniacs. People who can’t be contained through normal means. So, the police department stopped asking the asylum too many questions as long as the patients admitted there didn’t escape into the streets.”

 

“Alright then,” Oliver nodded, “let’s go.”

 

“Woah, wait!” Felicity exclaimed, grabbing his sleeve, her eyes wide with worry, “These are quite possibly some of the most dangerous people on this earth, Oliver. And as much as I trust Kara to hold her own, you and Barry are still getting used to your abilities-”

 

Oliver sighed. She was right. Of course she was, “Okay. So, what do you propose?”

 

“That you take reinforcements of course.”

 

“Okay, but who?” Barry asked. Felicity gave him a look, as if it was obvious. When he just looked at him questioningly, Felicity sighed, and took out her phone, dialing the only other person who could show up anywhere at a moment’s notice, and with support.

 

He picked up at the third ring, and Felicity spoke before he could, “Hey, Cisco! How soon can you get Digg and Cait and get here?”

 

………

 

Felicity’s plan was as detailed as always. His wife could think of flaws and contigencyies faster than anyone. Together, they divided the group into strategic teams. Kara and Caitlyn impersonating as Staff and patient, him and Diggle (of course he was going in with John) as a CCPD detective and ARGUS agent respectively, Barry would be back up as Green Arrow if things went south. They had just been about to leave for the asylum when the skies above them suddenly turned red. Lightning bolts crackling. 

 

“Aha!” Felicity exclaimed, rushing to the assembled anchor and placing it in the middle of the rooftop, “I knew it.” She gave Oliver a bright smile even as the wind picked up, whipping her hair everywhere. Oliver rushed closer to her as she switched the machine on, a beam of red light travelling through the air right into the sky. 

 

For a few seconds, nothing happened, and Oliver saw Felicity’s smile dim, her expression deflating, and he had just put his hand around her, comforting-hubby mode on when a red portal appeared in front of them. In an instant, Felicity was behind him, his hand on her hip making sure she stayed safe even as she tried to peek over his shoulder,

 

The image appeared static at best, but it was no mistaking it. It was The Flash. Maybe not Barry, but at least, someone one else from some other earth who was also The Flash.

 

“Only--- Book, make this right--

Can you hear me? Only the Book can make this right.

Get the Book!”

 

And suddenly, the portal disappeared. Oliver absently heard Caitlin ask Barry, “Was that Jay?” but his attention was on Felicity. Felicity who looked so shocked, it was as if she hadn’t expected it to work.

 

As if she had doubted herself.  She shook her head clear, turning to look up at Oliver with one of her brightest grins. She looked beautiful to him, in that moment. Under red skies, with her hair wild around her shoulders and eyes bright and cheeks pink. They were in the middle of a crisis. For all they knew, the world could be ending. But, in that moment, Oliver couldn’t take his eyes off of his wife. Not for anything.

 

“You are a genius.” He told her, matching her grin with his own, and as if she couldn’t help herself anymore, she threw herself in his arms, and he staggered back a few steps in surprise,

 

“It worked!” She exclaimed in his ears, her giggles ringing in his ears like clear bells,

 

“Of course it did.” He replied. He honestly wasn’t surprised. Felicity has always defied his expectations, has always impressed him. That’s one more thing about them that will never change.

 

Someone cleared their throat, and they pulled away, looking over to the rest of their team. Diggle gave them a soft smile, still slightly weirded out, but Oliver could tell he was starting to come to terms with the insane body-mind-swap.

 

“So,.. what I got from that entire….experience is that, we need to get the book?” Cisco summarized, “What book?”

 

“In that vibe that you showed us,” Oliver said, “Deegan was holding a thick book. Something that the man in that ridiculous costume had given to him. I bet he still has it.”

 

“Looks like our objective hasn’t changed.” Diggle nodded, “Let’s go find John Deegan and get that book.”

 

………

 

“Oh!” Felicity looked up from where she was making slight adjustments on the quantum flux anchor as a breech opened up. Oliver stepped out, followed by Diggle and Kara and then Caitlyn and Barry and then Cisco who closed the breech after him, “Look who finally came back. I was starting to get worried about you guys.” Her eyes looked up her husband for any visible injuries, stopping on the giant book he was holding under his arm, “I see you got the book.”

 

“Not just any book.” Caitlyn said just as Oliver handed her the heavy book. Her knees buckled under its weight just for a moment. She wasn’t expecting something that heavy, “But, I book with a cryptographic lock on it.”

 

“Can you work on opening it please? We don’t have a lot of time.”

 

“Of course.” Felicity said, and was just about to walk away when Oliver snatched her wrist. She stopped, turning around with a questioning look in her eyes, but Oliver just pulled her closer, kissing her softly even as he mumbled a light ‘hey’ against her lips.

 

Felicity smiled, a hand coming up to scratch the scruff on his cheeks, “Hi. Are you okay?”

 

“Hmm.” Oliver said, Not caring about the rest of the team even as he pulled away a little, just so that he could press his lips to her temple, “I’m good.”

 

“Good.” They jerked apart when they heard another breech open, this time the Flash from another earth stepping through the breach. 

 

“Jay?” Barry hazarded a guess,

 

“No.” The man answered, his voice deep. Barry breathed in deep, figuring there could be only one other explanation,

 

“My god, dad?” The man shook his head, no.

 

“My name is Barry Allen.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and Feedback!
> 
> If you wanna know when I'll update this, or any of my other works next, follow me on twitter @in_enochian or on tumblr @inenochian
> 
> DM me if you wanna talk, and check out the rest of my works if you wanna!
> 
> byee-  
> -manar

**Author's Note:**

> So, this was basically part 1 of the 3 part series. Comment below and tell me what you're looking forward to the most of me changing! All that Oliver bashing is definitely going away!! (my son and his wife deserve better).
> 
> To know when I will update this next, follow me on twitter @in_enochian or on tumblr @inenochian
> 
> Also, don't forget to kudos and feedback!  
> -ms


End file.
